Prime Minister Morrison

Scott Morrison is PM, Turnbull quits

Scott Morrison is now the Prime Minister of Australia and Malcolm Turnbull has quit the parliament.

A week of what some have described as Australian politics at its worst, has come to a head at a Liberal Party room meeting in Canberra.

A required 43 signatories to a petition calling for the meeting, and a second spill of positions within a week, was handed to Mr Turnbull late this morning.

Mr Turnbull interpreted the petition as a vote of no confidence in his leadership and didn't stand as a candidate at the meeting. That left a contest between Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison after Julie Bishop was eliminated in the first round.

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Morrison won the Liberal Party leadership by just five votes - 45 to 40. He will officially take on the Prime Ministership after being sworn in by the Governor-General, which should happen this afternoon.

The new Prime Minister will have to form a new agreement with Coalition partners, the National Party and quickly allocate portfolios.

The bigger, long-term job will be to unite a very fractured party and rebuild the party. Relationships have broken down and some will never be mended.

Rebuilding trust with the Australian public will be an even bigger job, but one with some urgency given an election is due by May at the latest.